13 May 2007

Over the past 30 years Project for Public Spaces has evaluated more than 1,000 public spaces, and informally investigated tens of thousands more. From all this we have discovered that most great places--whether a grand downtown plaza or humble neighborhood park--share four key qualities:

1. It is accessible and well-connected to other important places in the area.2. The space is comfortable and projects a good image.3. People are drawn to participate in activities there.4. It is a sociable place where people like to gather, visiting it again and again."

07 May 2007

Here's a simple but effective way to break the ice and introduce people at your next meeting or event. It's a good way to get people into a brainstorming/creative mood and sets the tone for a creative meeting.

1. Give everyone an index card and a colored marker (it's better if everyone has a different color).

2. Have each person fold the card in half to make a table tent.

3. On the front, have them write their name and draw their "supermask" (as in, if they were a superhero, what would be their mask?).

4. On the back, have each person write their "supername" and "superpower."

5. Go around the room and have each person describe their card to the group.

Variations:

1. If everyone more or less knows each other: After writing their name, have each person pass their card to the person on their left or right. The person receiving the card fills it out and passes it back. Then go around the room as before.

2. Instead of "supername" and "super power" you can try other things, like "wrestler mask, name and secret move."

3. Corporate version Have each person draw a self-portrait on the front of the card, and on the back write something others are unlikely to know about them.

02 May 2007

"Look your listener in the eye. Most inexperienced speakers lose the attention of their audience by looking up at the ceiling to collect their thoughts, looking at the floor, or darting their eyes around the room.

Whether you are addressing a small or large group, lock your gaze on one person, and keep it there for about five seconds - long enough to complete a thought. Then look at another person, take a breath, and continue with your next thought.

If you are talking to only one person, you'll want to break eye contact once in a while to avoid staring. But looking at one person per thought, and pausing slightly between each thought, is the most important technique of presenting."